Project Wonderland
by Keeper of Fatestones
Summary: No idea for a title yet, so please bear with me ; Inspired by me reading the Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. This is why I'm not allowed to be a yaoi fanboy with free time, money, internet, and a love for books. M for possibilities in later chapters


A/N: I was rereading "The Looking Glass Wars" by Frank Beddor and this idea just came to me. I highly recommend the trilogy and lowly recommend this fic… . AU, obviously… Huge thanks to Echo Dancer for your words of encouragement. I think you helped me from my slump!

**Chapter 1: Roxas of Diamonds**

_My name is Roxas DiaMonte, second in the line of inheritance of my family's fortune and estates. Beside me in the DiaMonte succession are my brothers: Sorato "Sora", Ventus "Ven" and Vanitas "Van." Sora is the eldest by a year while Vanitas and Ventus are younger than me by a year. We, along with our parents, reside in the Western quarter of the beauteous Wonderland. We four have been tutored in every academic subject imaginable. But enough about our history. I think you should hear about our present…_

**October 31****st****, 2011**

The boys' carriage arrived at the capital city of Unitivia; though to be exact, they stopped in Unity Court. The entire square was done up in decorations for the monthly Unity Carnival, this time being a masquerade and costume party. People from all over Wonderland and the entire world were gathered and dressed in costumes or masques. The boys were no exception; their costumes concealed their identities and kept them from special treatment, allowing them to set about amongst the shops and civilians without a second glance. Ventus and Vanitas stuck close together while Roxas and Sora were never far from each other's sides. The four agreed to meet up again at the inn they'd be staying at for the week of the carnival before splitting into their pairs and departing.

Sora, with his monstrous sweet tooth, dragged Roxas to every pastry and sweet cart in sight to sample sweet treats from all over the world. While it's true that the brunette could easily have had them delivered to his home in the West, he much preferred to have his sweets freshly prepared.

"C'mon Rox! They have tarty tarts over there! And," Sora gasped aloud "fresh cakes over there! And there's pie too! And ice cream! C'mon, let's go!" While the perky brunette jogged exuberantly ahead, his blond brother followed at a decent pace behind. Said blond was smiling and taking in the sights and sounds and smells of the celebration and didn't notice where he was going until he bumped into a tall man with eyes the same brilliant blue as his.

"Uh, I'm sorry. Please excuse me." Roxas mumbled, feeling his face burn beneath the Paper Mache mask he wore. The small blonde boy tried to move away; worried he offended the muscular man, and only succeeded in tripping over his cloak. The man tried to catch him before he fell and ended up with the younger boy sprawled out on top of him. Roxas' mask lay off to his side and he looked up at the tall brunette, the latter wearing an amused smile while his face burned a bright red.

"We've really gotta stop meeting like this" he said, chuckling softly at the blushing blonde. Roxas recovered quickly at that comment.

"What do you mean? Who the hell are you?" Roxas asked, indignant at the man.

"Really Ven? You honestly don't remember my name?" the tall brunette inquired.

Flatly, the spiky haired youth replied, "I'm not Ventus."

"You're not? You look and sound exactly like him. You even weigh about the same as him." The man rolls Roxas off and stands then offers the blond his hand, helping him up as well. Seeing Rox's mask off to the side, he retrieves it and offers it to the smaller man. "I'm really sorry for the mix-up."

"It's fine. But how do you know my brother?" the petite blond takes his mask back and looks into the man's blue eyes, searching for a hint of dishonesty.

"Same way I know you, kid." He replies with a grin. "Listen, my name's Terra. I only know your bro because he tripped and fell on me, same as you. Since you're related, I bet you'll see him again before I do. Mind telling him I said 'hi' and wanted to see him again soon?"

Taken aback by Terra's sincerity, Roxas nodded. "Uhm, sure. Anything else I should say for you?"

"Just tell him to meet me near the fountain in the park. It would really mean a lot to me… uhm… I don't think I got your name…."

"I'm Roxas."

Grinning broadly and offering his hand, "Good to meet you, Roxas. Oh, and here," Terra produces a rose from within his cloak. "Give this to Ven as well." He gives Roxas a charming smile. "Thank you for all of this, I owe you so much."

"Really Terra, it's nothing." The tall brunette flashed Roxas another killer smile as he walked away. "You kidding? My frickin' brother already has a date? Lucky ass." The blonde muttered to himself, looking around for Sora. "And where the hell did HE go?" _Don't get me wrong, I love how enthusiastic So is… It's just such a pain to keep track of him… _Roxas was knocked out of his reverie by something far more interesting: a fortuneteller booth. _Couldn't hurt. _He gave a shrug and walked over

"Ah, hello young man. Care to get your fortune told?" Asked a veiled, masked figure who, though Roxas couldn't be sure, sounded male. "For someone as handsome as you, I'll give a discount: 50 silver."

"And how exactly am I to trust this? Give me some proof that you're not a fraud."

"Listen here, brat. Either get your fortune told or get lost." The veiled person growled, motioning the blonde to leave. The figure stood and was just about to grab Roxas' arm to pull him away when another man showed up.

"Now now, aren't you trying to gain customers, not chase them away?" Roxas looked at the new figure with curiosity, instantly being drawn to the sparkling, acid green eyes hidden behind yet another masque, this one pure white with a black checkered pattern on the left side and a small flame pattern outlining his right eye. "Or was I mistaken in that belief?" the man continued on.

"Hmph. If the boy is with you, take him and leave. Time is money and you're wasting mine." The fortuneteller huffed, taking his seat again and already trying to coerce more people to his stall. Every now and then he glanced back up at the pair, shooting a harsh look that spoke clearly that he wanted them gone. The green haired male shook his head and smirked before gently touching the Roxas' shoulder and urging him to come with him. While the pair get a good ways away from the moody merchant Roxas took the time to study his savior. Being unable to see the green eyes that took his breath away, the blonde was given a chance to actually notice several things, the most prominent of which was the man's mane of blazing red spikes. Unconsciously, Roxas picked up his pace a bit to try to touch the mass of spiky hair. _Just a little more… Almost there… _Roxas' tongue peeked out from between his lips, one of the few tells he had that proved how hard he was concentrating.

The man stopped in front of him unexpectedly and, just like before, he stumbled and began to fall after crashing into the solidity of the red. Unlike before, however, someone reached out to save him, managing to catch the blond before he fell. "Geez, you bring him here and don't even take care of him? Your etiquette sucks."

Roxas noticed that the voice was coming from beside him and it dawned on him that the man who saved him from a painful fall was not the man he was following but another, with the same shocking red mane. "Thanks…" He muttered, not wanting to seem ungrateful.

"Not a problem, kid." _Ok, __**THAT**__ is it! I've had it with everyone calling me kid and brat!_

"My name is NOT 'kid', it's—" Roxas was cut off by the man still supporting his weight covering the blonde's mouth with his gloved hand

"Now wouldn't that defeat the purpose of a masquerade if you're going to spout your name so easily? I'll call you 'Blondie' for now, ok? Is that better than 'kid'?" the redhead let go of Rox and uncovered his mouth, letting the blonde reply

"Fine, as long as you don't mind being called the asshole twins."

The male he was following finally spoke up again. "Haha, this one's fiery, bro. You better watch out…"

"Oh shut it. So, Blondie, see you at the celebration tonight?"

Taken aback by the directness of the redhead, Roxas nodded and said the first thing that came to mind "Yeah, sure." Before he heard a merchant shouting from just a few yards away

"Somebody stop that thief! He's trying to get away without paying his bill!" Roxas noticed a streak of chocolate brown hair and sighed.

"I've gotta go. Uhm… Thanks for getting me out of that problem earlier." And to the red that caught him before he fell "And thanks for catching me."

"No problem"

"Anytime." The two said, almost in unison. Roxas gave both men a look of confusion before shaking his head with a small smile and running off after the 'thief' who could only be one person…

_A/N: __ I don't know where the hell this is going so I'll happily accept ideas and give due credit to the people who helped. As always, please R&R, and I'll see my wonderful readers later. Tee Hee. __**WONDER**__ful. I made a funny._


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